Basketball Recap: Leah Barker Key Part of a Team Effort in Hurricanes Win

Palm Harbor University hadn't done well against St. Petersburg recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. The Palm Harbor University Hurricanes walked away with a 60-49 win over the St. Petersburg Green Devils. For the Hurricanes, this counts as revenge for the 58-32 victory the Green Devils walked away with the last time they faced one another back in January of 2023.

Palm Harbor University's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Leah Barker, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 18 boards. Barker is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last 13 games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Devyn Lavelle, who went 5 for 9 en route to 12 points along with five boards and five steals.

Despite the defeat, St. Petersburg saw an underclassman step up: freshman Shaw Summer dropped a double-double on 22 points and 15 rebounds. That was a full 44.9% of St. Petersburg's points, marking the third time in a row she's posted more than a third of the team's points.

Palm Harbor University has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.8 points per game. As for St. Petersburg, the loss snapped their winning streak at four games and leaves them with a 17-7 record.

Palm Harbor University didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 59-50 victory against Berkeley Prep on the 30th. As for St. Petersburg, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 56-43 defeat against Countryside on the 30th.